Case Number 03793: Small Claims Court

There's A Girl In My Soup

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All Rise...

The Charge

A saucy romance for the amorous gourmet.

The Case

Meet Robert Danvers (Peter Sellers, The Pink Panther), a world-renowned
food critic who hosts his own television show. Robert knows almost everything
about fine cuisine and even more about wining and dining women. When he's not
plying his trade on television, Robert's a swinging, aging bachelor who beds
young female after female. But Robert may have found his match when he runs into
Marion (Goldie Hawn, The First Wives Club), a an energetic, enigmatic
19-year-old hippie who's just been booted out of her rock and roll boyfriend's
apartment. Of course, Robert sees this as the perfect opportunity for a little
free lovin'—he invites Marion back to his apartment that includes (but is
not limited to) a heated circle bed, a wet bar, shag carpet, and smooth jazz for
some smooth lovin'. Marion sees right through Robert's cheesy façade
(especially his patented line "My God, you look lovely…") and
becomes both his rival and lover. Soon the game is on as Robert pursues Marion
with all his stale charm, only to have his beefcake veneer shattered time and
again. As the two fall for each other, Marion is suddenly confronted with her
past boyfriend who wants her back. Then the suggestion is made that her ex and
Robert share her…

If not for the two marquee names at the top of the DVD case, There's a
Girl in my Soup may never have seen the light of day. It's not because it's
a particularly bad film, but that it's a highly inconsequential one without much
going for it. The story arc, or what there is of it, is so pointless that you
have to wonder what Goldie Hawn and Peter Sellers saw in the script. Surly both
actors have done far better work. Sellers, still able to generate laughs even
with the limp gags by screenwriter Terence Frisby (based on his stage play),
appears as if he'd rather be anywhere but on screen during most of the film.
Even so, the consummate actor professionally wrings laughter from such staged
antics as being hit in the face with a door and confronting a hippie band member
who challenges Robert's manhood. Goldie Hawn, all giggles and batting eyes, is
stuck in a role that in 2003 comes off as weak and submissive. Hawn's Marion
sleeps with anyone who will love her, goes back to those who treat her poorly,
and doesn't have a foundational sense of who she is. I realize that this is
supposed to be a fluffy little comedy, but her obvious character flaws tend to
cave in most of the laughs. The film bounces from scene of scene of people
sleeping together, Marion doing goofy things to embarrass Robert, and Robert
becoming overly critical of her youthful ways. As directed by the late Roy
Boulting (Brothers In Law, A French Mistress), There's a Girl
in my Soup doesn't have a solid sense of itself—too many instances of
boring montage and music permeate the film, making for sluggish pacing. Fans of
Seller and Hawn may want to check out this little oddity for oddities sake.
Otherwise, there are far too many better comedies from the 1970s colleting dust
on video shelves to waste your cinematic taste buds on this bland little movie
cracker.

There's a Girl in my Soup is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen, as well as 1.33:1 full frame. Columbia's work on this transfer is
so-so—the image isn't quite as good as one might hope. There is a fair
amount of grain and dirt in the transfer, as well as many shots that seem out of
focus (more the problem of the production than the transfer, I suspect). The
colors are generally bright and bold, though there are moments when the image
looks slightly faded. The black levels are solid without any major graying.
Overall, this is an only mediocre transfer. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby
Digital 2.0 Mono in English. There's nothing exciting to report here—it's
a flat mono sound mix, and best thing that can be said is that the dialogue,
music, and effects are clear of most hiss and distortion. Also included on this
disc are English and French subtitles.

It's common for most big studio catalog releases to receive a bare bones
treatment, and There's a Girl in my Soup is no exception. The extra
features consist only of a few theatrical trailers for various other Columbia
romantic comedies (My Best Friend's Wedding, Maid in Manhattan, Cactus Flower, Sleepless in Seattle).